Goren on Bridge

East-West vulnerable, South deals

Today’s deal is from the World Champion Women’s Pairs in 2002. South was Debbie Rosenberg, a leading American expert. She lived in New York for most of her life but relocated to California a few years ago.

The opening diamond lead picked up the queen for declarer, but she would have routinely played East for that card anyway from the auction. There were still two club losers and a spade, so the contract seemed to hinge on a successful heart finesse. East might have held the trump king. East did, in fact, hold the spade king, and it might just as easily have been the king of hearts.

Rosenberg made the inspired decision that East did not hold the king of hearts. Backing her judgment with her play, Rosenberg made a brilliant sequence of plays. She refused the free diamond finesse at trick one by rising with dummy’s king. The diamond finesse could be taken later. She then crossed to her hand with the ace of spades and led a low heart toward the dummy!

West was in agony. Was Rosenberg really doing this to her, or did her partner hold the singleton ace of hearts? After long thought, West said “OK, you win” as she played her low heart. Rosenberg had stolen her tenth trick and made her contract. She and her partner, Karen McCallum of New Hampshire, went on the win the World Championship. Well done! Bob Jones welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. Email responses may be sent to tcaeditors@tribune.com. © 2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.